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Tag: new testament

Who decided what books would go into the New Testament?

June 19, 2019 MatthewRuttan

Didn’t some politicians just vote on which books to include just to make Jesus look impressive and further their own cause? Um, not really. Here’s why.

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Our coordinate, route and destination for peace The “Up!” Devo for November 11 There are a lot of stories of about people over-relying on, or misusing, the GPS units in their vehicles. In England a big rainfall made the police close a road. The river went over the banks, making it impassable. But every day for two weeks at least one car drove past the warning sign and right into the river that was overflowing the road. Why? ‘Because my GPS said to go this way.’ Another is a woman from Belgium who set out to pick up a friend in Brussels. It was a 90-mile trip. But her GPS was set incorrectly. She missed the turn and kept going… for 900 miles! If the coordinates are wrong, the route is wrong, and we’ll never arrive at the right destination. I say this on November 11th because Jesus is our coordinate, route, and destination for world peace. If Jesus is not plugged in to the GPS of our hearts and minds, we will simply never arrive. I say this in a spirit of humility and with the pulse of Scripture. Colossians 1:19-20 says that through Jesus, God was reconciling "to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." ALL things, including peoples and nations. But he also works this peace between people through love. He is the one who says we should “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Even while hanging on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Don’t be shy about who Jesus is or what he has done. Following him, talking about him, and loving others in his name, brings more peace into a world which needs it desperately. If Jesus is not plugged in to the GPS of our hearts and minds, we will simply never arrive. By Matthew Ruttan #remembranceday #november11 #lestweforget #love #peace #thankful #thecross #gospel #faith #gps

When you cannot direct the winds The “Up!” Devo for November 8 When people go through a tough time in life, they sometimes lash out at the people they care about most. After a hard day, in a period of anxious uncertainty, or during a year of gut-wrenching decision-making, we can blame, shame or yell at the people in our own boat—after all, they’re the ones close enough to be in the line of fire at day’s end. But just because someone is beside you in the storms of life, that doesn’t mean they’re to blame. None of us are perfect. And sure, we all have things we need to work on. But consider what Paul says in Romans 12:10: “Honor one another above yourselves.” To honour someone is to respect them, to acknowledge their value and contribution. The same goes for those we love, even when we don’t feel like being loving. When people go through a tough time in life, they sometimes lash out at the people they care about most, people in their own ship, so to speak. But is it wise to do battle with members of your own crew? As Thomas More wisely said more than 500 years ago, “Don’t give up the ship in a storm because you cannot direct the winds.”* “Honor one another above yourselves.” By Matthew Ruttan --“Up!” is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on November 11. --Bible quotes are from the NIV. --*Thomas More, Utopia, ed. G.M. Logan, trans. R. M. Adams (W.W. Norton and Company, 1975), 36. #honor #faith #challenges #hardship #romans #thomasmore #utopia #love #family #friends #relationships

Worrying about what OTHERS are going to say or do The “Up!” Devo for November 7 I think a lot of the frustration we experience in life comes from worrying about things beyond our control. How much time and energy do we spend (waste) worrying about what someone else is going to say or do… when our time and energy is better spent focusing on what WE are going to say or do. In Romans 14:12 Paul writes that “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” We won’t give an account of what other people have said and done, but of what WE have said and done. Today you might be tempted to spend a disproportionate amount of time worrying about things beyond your control—namely, what other people are going to say and do in a particular situation. But if God wanted you to be responsible for other people’s words and actions, don’t you think he would have stitched your mouth and hands on their bodies? But he didn’t. He stitched them on yours. Today, remember that you are responsible for you. Speak the truth in love, and love truly. Your primary sphere of influence in this world… is you. By Matthew Ruttan #responsible #people #love #words #actions #faith #inspiration #worry #stressed

For when you can’t see the fruits of your labour The “Up!” Devo for November 6 Yesterday we talked about leaving a legacy of love with your life. It’s a big topic, I know. And it can be discouraging—especially when you think you keep missing the mark and never see any results. You read the Bible, pray, try to love others in your own small way, but wonder if any of it makes a difference. Consider Julius Hickerson, a young Christian doctor who could have done well with a ‘normal’ practice.* But he wanted to go to Columbia for mission work, tending to people’s physical and spiritual needs. After two years he felt like it was a waste of time; there weren’t any tangible results. And then one day, while delivering supplies to a village, his plane crashed and he died. But some Coloumbians found his Bible in the wreckage. It was in their own language and was well-marked. In an almost unbelievable turn of events, the locals shared what they were reading with others, and actually established several churches all on their own, simply based on what they had read from Hickerson’s Bible! A few years later, a Christian organization sent missionaries to the same place only to find that it was already missionized! That is the power of God’s word—the message of and about Jesus. Like Hickerson, we may not always see the fruits of our labours, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Ultimately, God is the one who is doing the work, and his loving purposes never fail. I’m reminded of Isaiah 55:11 where God says that his word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Just because you can’t always see the fruits of your labour, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Be true to God and love others. God’s word “will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” By Matthew Ruttan #faith #inspiration #dailydevotional #missionary #bible #GodsWord #endurance #dontquit #legacy #love

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